Readers Up #28: Good Things Come
As much as I enjoy intellectualizing everything under the sun, sometimes I just wanna like a thing. Sometimes I want to feel good! Remember feeling good? It's not illegal, yet. As the wisest JuanPa wrote, joy is not the absence of suffering. From my eternal-outsider's perspective, racing carries with it an odd legacy of suffering, a burden of mixed emotions offered at the turnstile, an invitation to come aboard the struggle bus. If its profile among major American sports diminishes each year, if its chief players are mired in corruption and unsportsmanlike behavior, if its most basic thrills--standing at the rail, eavesdropping in the bar, sniffing the paddock air--are removed from contention, small wonder that joy in racing has been thin on the ground in 2020 of all years. Having been spoiled by proximity to NYRA's three gems, not darkening the inside of a grandstand in almost a year feels wrong indeed, my joy diminished.
So it was a pleasure, almost a blessing, to read Linda Shantz's first book Good Things Come. Not only does this novel depict a racing scene totally unfamiliar to me, that of Woodbine in Canada, but it delivers sure-footed racing realities, a deliciously slow-burn relationship, and a jock for the ages--all in vivid, evocative prose that belies the book's debut status. American racing novels are often concerned with the Kentucky Derby, or the Breeders' Cup at the absolute edgiest; the Queen's Plate is Canada's banner event, and the impact of the race on protagonist Liv, a horsewoman from a horse family who have bred possible Plate winners, marries perfectly with Liv's personal race-riding ambitions. There's something in Good Things Come for every type of racetrack reader: an eyes-on-the-prize young woman who dreams of jockeying; delicious descriptions of Thoroughbred looks and personalities; racetracks familiar (Belmont!) and maybe-someday-familiar (Woodbine); true-to-life veterinary details; thrilling jock's-eye race sequences. It feels good to sink into a book like this during a year like this... to remember, among doping scandals and spectator-free tracks and open racism and the same ancient, exhausting arguments, what draws us to racing.
What draws me is probably not what draws you--but all of our joys are necessary, valuable, integral.
Below you'll find a brief author's Q&A with Linda, who was kind enough to provide a behind-the-scenes look at Good Things Come:
Hi, Linda! Thank you for chatting about Good Things Come. Please give us a glance into how you decided to begin writing racing stories.
Believe it or not, I started the story that became Good Things Come when I was about eight. My favourite books as a child were The Black Stallion series and Marguerite Henry’s Black Gold and King of the Wind and what I wrote way back then was definitely influenced by them – though I was writing the book I wanted to read, which was about the Queen’s Plate instead of the usual Derby stories. I had a fascination with the Plate from very early on, and never understood why there weren’t novels about it!
As a fine artist creating equine paintings, what prompted you to try your hand at writing?
Writing and drawing have always gone hand in hand for me. I was that horse girl whose family couldn’t afford riding lessons, so I think I compensated by drawing and writing about horses. When it came to putting my work out into the world, though, it just took a lot longer for me to be brave enough with my writing than I’ve been with my art!
How do you balance writing for racetrackers versus a wider audience who may not be familiar with the ins and outs of Thoroughbreds? How important is verisimilitude to depicting a sport in fiction?
I think it’s vital. I really do believe you need to write first and foremost for your ideal reader. Writing about horses is going to be niche regardless of what you do, so you might as well make your harshest critics happy. And horse people are tough! It’s one of the things that has meant so much to me, seeing the reviews that are coming in. Readers are appreciating the authenticity, and those who aren’t racehorse people are getting a glimpse of a world they might not know much about while still enjoying the story.
I read a novel recently centred around ballet, something I know nothing about, except that I have total respect for the dancers because it’s so physically demanding! I didn’t understand everything, but the story was engaging enough that I didn’t stop to google those details. I think most of us could cite similar examples, and as a writer it’s what we hope for from the readers who aren’t familiar with our world!
For the people who really want to know those details, social media platforms make authors accessible. I’m always happy to clarify things for readers if there are questions!
Good Things Come centers on the Canadian racing industry, which is a refreshing perspective! What is your relationship to or background in the sport in Canada? Do you have a favorite American or Canadian track?
I worked as a hotwalker the summer before my final year of high school, then the following year got what I considered my dream job at the track, where I got to do a bit of everything – walking. grooming, galloping, and learned how to break babies in the fall. One of the winters I stayed home instead of going to Florida, I worked at a breeding farm where I started babies and galloped, then nightwatched broodmares until Woodbine started back up again. I did end up going back to school and got a degree completely unrelated to horses and art and writing! But during those years I bred my mare, and when the resulting foal was a two-year-old, a horse by her sire won the Plate, so, cue the crazy dreams! I ended up back at the track. I didn’t manage to get her to the races, but I did end up running my own farm where I did layups, managed broodmares and foaled and raised the babies. It’s one of those things that gets in your blood and it’s hard to get away from! Now I’m more on the aftercare side of things, rehabbing/retraining/rehoming horses that have retired from the track.I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent time at most of the nicest racetracks in North America – but I do love my home track, Woodbine. I loved it even more before they made all the changes when they brought the slots in. And I adored Hialeah. Of the US tracks that are still around, I think I’d have to give the nod to Keeneland. Apologies to the group of friends I often make the trek to Saratoga with!
The Lachance family's racehorses provide an appealing structure for Liv and Nate's relationship. Can you talk a bit about striking a balance between a Thoroughbred character's racing arc and an emotional arc for human characters?
I think the human and equine arcs in the story are so interconnected that they compliment each other quite naturally. In real life in the racing world, human emotions are so closely tied to the health and performance of their racehorses, something that can be so wildly uncertain. It was fun to balance Liv’s control-freak crazy with Claire’s calm, and Chique’s unpredictability with Nate’s bring-it-on attitude – and then have the two humans have to figure themselves and each other out because of what the horses put them in the middle of.
What was the first story you ever wrote?
When I was in Grade Two, I wrote – and illustrated, of course! – a story my teacher thought should be published. I don’t remember much about it, except that I’m pretty sure the horses in it were Secretariat, a horse named Blackie, and another named Lightning, which is actually where the equine character of Claire began! Thank goodness it was never published!
What’s next on your project list?
I’m currently about midway through a second draft of the sequel to Good Things Come. I’ve promised it for the spring of 2021, so I’m feeling the sequel pressure!
What’s a book in the racing canon that you’d recommend to any reader?
I’m going to go way back to Peter Gzowski’s An Unbroken Line. It embodies the spirit of the Woodbine backstretch I’ve lived and tried to stay true to in my book. “The backstretch at Woodbine is a special place to be on Queen’s Plate morning... for mornings are a time of hope and hope is at the heart of racing.”
My thanks to the author for these details and for writing just the book we needed during State Farm commercial voice these trying times. Readers, check out Linda's beautiful art here, and pick up a copy of her debut novel right here! She's also on Twitter, so hit the Follow and ask away about beautiful Woodbine and all things horse-related.
From somewhere inside a blanket nest,
Diana